34 BULLETIN 460, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



3 years before P. mayriana Sudw. 1 appeared in print, it would seem 

 that the tree must now be known by the earlier established name, 

 P. apacheca. 



DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS. 



The general appearance of the large, long, deep-green leaves of 

 Apache pine distinguish it from all associated species, and remind 

 one of the southeastern longleaf pine (P. palustris). Young trees 

 (from 5 to 6 years old and from 2 to 3 feet high) are also strikingly 

 similar in appearance and habit to the early growth of young long- 

 leaf pines (PL XXIV) . 2 The crown and trunk form of large trees 

 is, however, similar to western yellow pine. Such trees have rather 

 open, elongated, or round-topped crowns, and straight trunks clear 

 of limbs for from one-third to one-half their height (PL XXIII). 

 Young trees (PL XXIV) have broadly conical, rather compact 

 crowns and trunks clear of branches for about one-fourth their 

 height. Mature trees are from 50 to 75 feet high and from 14 to 30 

 inches in diameter. Doubtless larger trees occur. The bark of both 

 old and young trunks is rather narrowly and deeply furrowed, the 

 main ridges being connected by smaller side ridges. It varies in 

 thickness from 1^ to \\ inches. Externally the bark is dark brown, 

 newly opened rifts showing dull red-brown. 



The stout dark-green leaves (PL XXI, a), which bear minute 

 teeth (serratures) on their margins, occur mainly in bundles of 3 

 (exceptionally of 2, 4, and 5) and are commonly from 8 to 15 inches 

 long, some trees bearing leaves 6 to 7 inches long. A cross section of 

 the leaves shows from 11 to 14 resin ducts. Each season's growth of 

 leaves remains on the tree about 2 years. The basal sheaths of the 

 leaf-bundles, at first light brown and later dark brown, are from 

 three-fourths of an inch to \\ inches long and have conspicuously 

 fringed margins. 



The cones (Pis. XXI, XXII), matured at the close of the second 

 season, are commonly from 4 to 5£, or sometimes nearly 6, inches 

 long and externally a light yellowish or clay-brown, unexposed parts 

 of the cone scales being a dark chocolate-brown. They are more 



1 The history of this species is as follows : Dr. C. S. Sargent first described it as Finns 

 latifolia (Gard. and For. II, 496, fig. 135, 1889) from specimens collected by Dr. Mayr 

 while exploring our Southwest. Later, the present writer found the specific name " lati- 

 folia" to be preoccupied in previously published Irinominals applied to two different 

 pines, thus making it impossible to retain longer P. latifolia for the Arizona pine. The 

 latter was, therefore, renamed P. mayriana in 1897, in honor, as was then supposed, of 

 its first discoverer, Dr. Helnrich Mayr. This name must, however, now become a synonym 

 of Finns apacheca Lemmon, which appears to be the first name applied to the tree. Dr. 

 Sargent's present judgment is that the " Mayr pine " is a variety only of the western 

 yellow pine and he has accordingly designated it as P. ponderosa mayriana (Silva, XI, 

 81. 1897). 



3 The tap-root of seedlings descends to great depth during the first 5 or 6 years; while 

 the stem above ground grows very slowly in height, and rarely branches. In this habit 

 of growth, young plants differ greatly from the western yellow pine and Arizona pine, 

 and strongly resemble the longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) in its first few years' growth. 



